


Clues

by laadychat



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Gen, finding out who hawkmoth is, idk how to tag this but will add tag along the way, marikimnino brotp, post-reveal, with alya and adrien obv
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:15:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25179832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laadychat/pseuds/laadychat
Summary: Marinette started receiving emails from an unknown sender on her private Ladybug account. The thing is, only five people know this email - how did this person find her?And why did they know information about the Miraculous Book?Are they an ally? Or is this a trap?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Lê Chiến Kim, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 18
Kudos: 95





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> am i starting a new fic? yes. will i continue the others? yes. i couldn't get this idea out of my head so here it is. hope you like it!

When Marinette walked into her room and turned on her computer, she wasn't expecting a new email from an unknown sender. And it wasn't on her personal email either-

It was on Ladybug's email.

The reason it was so bizarre was because only a handful of people know this email.

And this sender was definitely not any of those people.

"Tikki, something is not right," Marinette called out after staring at the homepage of her email. The title only stated 'Important' and the preview didn't show anything else. "I should call Adrien, right?" He always said she should trust her guts and _this_ definitely screamed abnormal. And she promised him not to hide any secrets.

There were perks to knowing each other's identity.

"He said he would stop by after his fencing class." The tiny creature of creation piped up, barely glancing up from the cookie she's currently devouring. "Which should be right about-" A knocking at Marinette's balcony door interrupted her. "-now." And with that, Tikki flew off towards her little nest, knowing to leave space for her counterpart.

"Knock, knock, it's your knight in leather armor!" The voice called out and Marinette was amused by it momentarily before remember the current reason for her curiosity and suspicion.

"It's open." Eyes never leaving her computer, she pulled another chair closer to it when she heard the door opening. "I got a weird email on the Ladybug account and I don't recognize the sender."

Dropping down from the door, Adrien was no longer Chat Noir when his feet hit the ground. "What did it say?" He asked, holding out a piece of cheese before the kwami of destruction could complain about his stomach. He heard _that_ often enough already. Making his way towards her, he noticed how tense his partner's shoulders were and he frowned. If she really didn't know who sent this email, did that mean they had access to _his_ email as well?

And Marinette took her identity seriously - he knew this was alarming.

Shaking her head, Marinette beckoned him over. "No, I was waiting for you to get here first." _I'm not gonna hide anything from you,_ is what she meant but kept it to herself. "I didn't give anyone else this email." She muttered, eyes furrowed at she stared at the name of the email. _'Unknown'._ "Maybe I should give Alya the email and see if she can trace who owns it?"

"She'll be able to find out but then she'll be asking questions," he muttered, leaning over her shoulder to take a closer look at her screen. "Plus, that address looks like it's one of those 'one-time-uses' emails."

"Like a burner phone?"

He nodded his head, sitting down in the seat next to Marinette. "Yeah, even if Alya looked into it, she might not be able to find the IPN address. Let's just open it up - if it's a hack, we can get Max to look into the computer."

"Sounds risky," she pointed out, not really wanting anyone else having access to her computer. "He taught me a bit on coding, I might be able to fix it myself. But yeah," squaring up her shoulder, she then took a deep breath, preparing herself. She doesn't know why _this_ is causing her to fidget so much - hell, taking down akumas didn't bring her this much anxiety before.

Adrien could feel her hesitation and he glanced over at his partner. "I'm with you," he said softly, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. _I'm not leaving,_ his tongue held back, watching as she moved the mouse to open the email up.

If anything, she was expecting the email to be from a fan. Or maybe even a spam mail.

What she didn't expect was to find pages of the Miraculous Book - decoded with detailed explanation. The book that belonged to _Gabriel Agreste._

Marinette heard Adrien inhale sharply and realized he understood what they were looking at. The day Hawkmoth found out who Master Fu was, his place had been trashed. Luckily, she was able to get the tablet before the butterfly miraculous holder. But she had a hard time decoding it without the help of the previous guardian.

And clicking through some of the files sent to her... these were the pages she wasn't able to figure out.

"Marinette," Adrien whispered, leaning closer to the screen, his eyes wide. Carefully moving her head away from the mouse, he started going through the files, realizing that the reason there wasn't anything in the preview was because there wasn't any body text. "This is..."

"Someone has the book. And," she muttered, finally moving her gaze away from her computer and towards the boy next to her. "They were able to _translate_ it."

Master Fu didn't mention another guardian - could it be that someone was able to get the book from Gabriel? Was there another copy somewhere else?

"Do you think it'd be from the temple in China?" He kept his voice quiet, afraid of raising it. Not only did they get her email but to also have information on something they've been working on?

"That sounds likely but..." shaking her head, she moved to take control of the mouse and downloaded the photos. "They might not know about us yet, they've been missing for over a hundred years. I don't think they would understand about technology just yet. This is someone else." She concluded and the more she talked it out, the more it made sense. No, this person was not from the temple. And to give them pictures from the specific book they had a tablet of?

That was too much of a coincidence.

"Well, we can rule out our good friend Hawkie," Adrien stated, shaking his head slightly. "There's no way he would send us this - he wouldn't want us to know anything he does."

And this made sense too, Hawkmoth wouldn't have sent them these files. But before she could voice out any other thoughts, a ding on her computer caught her attention.

A ding that indicated another email.

Marinette didn't hesitate to open it. "What the _hell_."

This time, the email had only one attachment. And this file contained something more important than the other email.

"It says that the butterfly miraculous is only able to akumatize someone within a certain radius," Marinette read and she held her breath as her eyes scanned the rest of what it said, not believing what she was reading. She had a hunch that this might be the case - Master Fu wasn't completely certain about how far Hawkmoth's butterflies could go.

And to have someone send her an email of the same conclusion, along with translations of the Miraculous Book? This was definitely not a random person - this person has access to their enemy's information.

Which only means-

"This person knows who Hawkmoth is." Adrien breathed out, voicing out the dawning realization Marinette has come to as well. "And they want us to figure out who he is."

-

It took a whole ten minutes to stop their frenzy in order to think about a solid plan on how to move on with the new information they gathered. Whoever sent these emails clearly wanted to them to find out who Hawkmoth was. Although they didn't understand why this person couldn't just outright say Hawkmoth's identity wasn't lost on them.

"Maybe they live in the same house and Hawkmoth has the computers rigged so he'd know whenever anyone sent a message about Hawkmoth? Or his name?" 

Now _that_ caught Marinette's attention - the situation sounded too specific to be coincident. Narrowing her eyes at the blonde model, she wanted to press the issue but after a moment, she decided to let it go. They should tackle this one step at a time.

"Maybe," she muttered, tapping her chin as her gaze shifted from him to the papers laying on the ground between them. This would probably need more help with figure all this out and as much as Marinette wouldn't like anyone else knowing her identity, she knew it needed to be done if she was to take a team against Hawkmoth.

Too bad one of them probably already had a clue - but that wasn't her fault at all! She just... forgot how perceptive he could be. And Adrien was pretty sure knew his identity as well.

"I think we need help," Sighing, Adrien ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't fail to notice how Marinette looked at him when he mentioned the whole flagging certain phrases and he's happy she didn't ask him for more information - he wouldn't pass her to not have figured out just how controlling Gabriel Agreste could be. This was more important anyways.

As much as Marinette didn't want to admit it, Adrien was right. Grabbing her phone, she sent a text to the person they were both thinking about. She only had to wait a few seconds before she got the confirmation that he was on his way.

"I am so not ready to face his cockiness."

-

And cocky he was when he arrived carrying some snacks for them. If Marinette didn't need his help, she would have hauled his ass out of the door he entered from. She's done it before and she'll do it again.

"I knew it." He said again for the third time and just kept grinning that smug grin of his despite how unimpressed Marinette tried to make herself appear. "Hey, don't look at me like that - you guys didn't make it that hard to figure it out. Everyone else doesn't know though - they don't believe the duo superheroes of Paris could be someone they know. I just happen to take a closer look."

"Can we focus, Kim? We're kind of in a crisis here." Adrien groaned, having sat up from his position on the chaise. The moment Kim opened Marinette's door and had that mischievous glint in his eyes, Adrien plopped face-first on the inviting chaise.

"Fine, fine." The taller boy relented on his teasing and moved closer towards the pile of paper around their feet. "First of all, Marinette, can you pull down you're big calendar? we can post these things on the back of it."

Of course, why didn't she think of that! Standing up to pull it down, she was surprised by what was on there. "Oh, I forgot!" Smiling at her two companions, she pointed to the board. "Would you look at that? We have a map of Paris. Let's also start plotting down where each of the akuma attacks started."

"Hope you guys don't get hungry quickly," Kim stated, hands on his hips as he looked around the room. "This will take a while."


	2. Chapter 2

It took them two hours to pinpoint the exact location of each akuma origin. And once stepping back to take a better look at the map, a pattern emerged.

“Well,” Adrien broke the tense silence, head tilted to the side as he studied the map. “Hawkie is definitely working within a parameter.”

“Yeah,” Marinette let out a slow breath, her eyes scanning the pins. “We can also safely say this is probably where they live.”

Kim furrowed his brows, his mind going over this new revelation. “Why do you say that?”

“With how often the akuma attacks occur, it has to be. If it was at work, someone would bound to take notice of that. With how secretive he is at hiding his identity,” Marinette tapped her chin, turning to the boys next to her. “He wouldn’t risk a coworker walking in on him.”

Nodding his head, Kim turned to sit on the chaise. That conclusion made sense to him; of course Hawkmoth would be in a secretive place when he was terrorizing Paris. Being anywhere else would be too risky.

“Does he even have a job?” Adrien asked. He was thinking about the frequency of the akumas. Hawkmoth couldn’t have a stable job - his attacks are both frequent and at random times during the day. “How is he able to do so many attacks randomly while having a job?”

Nibbling on her bottom lip, Marinette scratch her cheek. “Maybe he works at home?” 

“A CEO of some sort? He has to have money - he was in New York when we were. It isn’t exactly cheap to get a flight out there.” The taller boy pointed out. “Also, if we’re agreeing that he must live within this radius,” he pointed towards the map. “He must have many. Those are really nice homes.”

Adrien nodded in agreement after a moment. Kim had to be right; this ten-mile radius only had mansions. If Hawkmoth lived here, he had to be rich. He should know - he lives within the area they deemed to be house the villain.

Wait.

“I live there.” He spoke up, a scuff of surprise escaping him. The model doesn’t know why it took him a while to realize it. The possibility of Hawkmoth living so close to him left a sour taste in his mouth.

“What? He lives  _ that close _ ?” A small voice called out and Adrien didn’t think much of it until he heard Kim’s sudden yelp. And at that moment, he noticed a floating blob of black fur hovering in his peripheral vision and realized just what happened.

“Oh, yeah,” Grimacing, the blonde boy turned around and pointed his thumb towards the kwami. “Kim, this is Plagg. He’s my kwami.”

“Yeah, king of destruction and chaos, nice to meet you,” Plagg muttered, waving his hand in annoyance. “What is this about him living near you?”

“Look at the map, Plagg,” another voice called out. “It makes sense. By the way,” the little red kwami hovered in front of the Vietnamese boy, a smile on her face. “I’m Tikki. Marinette’s kwami.”

Kim blinked before returning the smile. It wasn’t like he was new to the kwami business - he was a hero twice before. And of course, he knew Marinette and Adrien were Ladybug and Chat Noir but it wasn’t until he saw the small creatures that it really  _ hit  _ him. 

These two dorks he knew were the ones constantly putting their lives at risk to keep everyone safe.

“Nice to meet you, Tikki.” He responded, his voice soft. Glancing over at the pigtailed girl, he saw her holding out a cookie for Tikki. Frowning, Kim decided to ask them a question that has been bugging his mind since they started pinning tacks on the map.

“When do you guys sleep?”

“Hm?” Marinette hummed distractingly, her eyes still on her board. Looking at it closely, she did notice that Adrien’s place was one of the few houses in the middle. Did that mean Hawkmoth was close to figuring out Adrien’s identity? If that was the case, they were going to need to find him first.

“Sleep?”

Turning towards her childhood friend, she gave him a puzzled look. Was he tired? “You want to sleep?”

He gave her an equally confused glance. “No? I asked when do you sleep. Considering all the stuff both of you do,” he pointed between both her and Adrien, “you must not be getting enough sleep. Is this why both of you are always taking a nap during lunch?”

Shooting Adrien a look, she then sighed when he shrugged. She often forgot how perspective Kim could be. Of course, he noticed that, too. “Yeah. Noticed that, didn’t you?” Her lips twitched, suddenly wary of what else he noticed.

Adrien, on the other hand, rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. When Hawkmoth decided to terrorize the city, he had to rearrange his schedule of the day. That often meant he was finding himself doing his homework late into the evening. Was it obvious he would spend what little free time he had sleeping?

He also happened to like napping with Marinette.

“I might have sought you out a few times and found both of you cuddled up. It’s adorable.” He grinned, enjoying the way they both flushed. “But don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone. They won’t stop bothering you if they knew.”

Their classmates were still heavily invested in their friends’ love life. Kim didn’t see the point of it - he believed it was best to let nature takes its course. But he wasn’t above teasing them on their obvious crush for one another.

Marinette shook her head in disbelief before muttering a clipped ‘thank you’, pointedly ignoring Kim’s amused smile. She still had a crush on Adrien but now, after their reveal, her feelings for him were enhanced due to the fact that he was also her partner. But after they dropped their transformation, Adrien hasn’t acted all that flirty towards her anymore.

They were definitely closer now - close enough that she considered him her best friend. Her life-long partner. They still somewhat flirted but it wasn’t near the level of before the reveal. She was afraid his feeling had shifted now that he knew she was behind the mask. But she also caught the soft gazes he would send her way - the same looks he gave when it was just Ladybug and Chat Noir. So she knew there was a great possibility that he did still like her.

But Marinette was afraid of putting herself out there.

And Adrien was mortified but just as equally amused. He felt comfortable, safe around Marinette and oftentimes when they slept, they woke up with their limbs tangled. He knew his classmate, especially Alya and Nino would make a big deal of that. He wasn’t oblivious to the way they would nudge them together. But Marinette, on multiple cases, had stated that they were friends. And she wouldn’t tell him who was her crush. 

Ladybug also told him she only saw him as a friend.

He was happy with how they were currently. They were great friends and awesome partners. Their relationship practically blossomed after their reveal. And after finding out Ladybug was Marinette, he hadn’t his feelings could grow. The two girls he respected and like were the same person - how could it  _ not  _ grow? It was near damn impossible for him not to blurt out his feelings. But for the sake of their relationship, he toned down the flirting and stopped doing anything that would make her uncomfortable. 

And Kim was watching the way they blushed and couldn’t help smirking. Then he shook his head. Their love life was important but for now, they had other things to focus on. 

“So, we have agreed that moth boy must have a lot of money and lives in this,” he stood up, his finger circling around the ten-mile radius. “Area.”

“Yeah,” Marinette said, grateful for the change of subject. Straightening her back, she placed her fist on her hip. They needed to find Hawkmoth as soon as possible. “He probably doesn’t have a family.”

That conclusion took Adrien by surprise and he raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“If he did, he wouldn’t be doing all the terrorizing he does. Plus, family obligations mean he wouldn’t be able to have as much free time.” The noirnette said but even that explanation didn’t exactly sit right with her. Knowing what little she did of the lives of the wealthy, she knew some parents actively neglected their kids, intensionally or not. It was possible that Hawkmoth did have a family but used much of his time being Paris’ villain.

“I wouldn’t necessarily rule that out, Mari,” Adrien spoke up, very much familiar with the concept of a rich parent spending little time with their child. “He could probably have kids and still spends all his time at work. For now, since I live in the area, I can take a look around.”

“Okay,” Kim nodded, glad to have a sort of plan forming. “With that said,” he spun on his heel and headed towards the computer. “What are we going to do with these emails?”

“That,” Marinette sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Is for later, I’m hungry.”

“Yeah, where’s my cheese?” Plagg popped out from his makeshift bed made next to Tikki’s, having flown there earlier when he was promptly ignored. 

And the two boys couldn’t complain, not when their stomachs agreed with Marinette.

"Okay, food break and then we’ll dive into the emails.” Kim relented as he headed towards the door. “We got this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally remembered where this fic was going lmaooo


End file.
